I, TOO ARTS SCHOLARSHIP FOR BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
I, Too Arts Collective / Highlights Foundation
INFO: In partnership with New York Times bestselling author Renée Watson, and the founding members of the I, Too Arts Collective, a scholarship for a Black writer, identifying as a woman, has been created. The scholarship includes full tuition to a qualifying Highlights Foundation workshop. Assistance toward traveling expenses will be offered if available.
The I, Too Arts Collective was founded by Renée Watson in 2016. The collective leased the Harlem brownstone where Langston Hughes lived and created during the last 20 years of his life. The space was activated to host readings, writing workshops, book launch celebrations, youth arts engagement, and conversations with writers, poets, and illustrators. The lease ended on the Hughes house in December 2019.
“I, Too Arts Collective was inspired by Langston’s poem, ‘I, Too’ where he writes about having a seat at the table, how he, too, is America. In so many ways his home became our table, a sacred space for writers and artists to create, to gather, to heal,” says founder Renée Watson. “Part of the organization’s mission was to nurture voices from underrepresented communities in the creative arts. This scholarship has been established to continue that work, to provide financial resources, space, and time for Black women writers to create and perfect their craft.”
The I, Too Arts Scholarship is designed for a Black woman writer, who has at least one book published (self or traditionally).
DEADLINE: March 1, 2020
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS -- FICTION / NONFICTION
ANMLY
INFO: Attach one story of no more than 5000 words. Please include a short bio in the "Cover Letter" field.
Translations that foreground the work of the original author are welcome in this category. For translations that foreground the creativity of the translator, please see our Translation section.
DEADLINE: March 1, 2020
https://anmly.submittable.com/submit
CREATIVE RESIDENCY
Millay Colony for the Arts
INFO: The Millay Colony for the Arts is one of the oldest multidisciplinary artist residencies in the world. Since its inception by Norma Millay in 1973, we have invited thousands of writers, poets, visual artists, screenwriters, playwrights, filmmakers and composers to come to Steepletop, the estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and activist Edna St. Vincent Millay to reflect, refuel and create in quiet solitude. Most residencies are month-long but we do offer shorter stays several times a year, especially to accommodate the special needs of parent creators.
In addition, we partner with local and regional schools and other organizations for unique and compelling public programs and community outreach initiatives.
The seven-acre Colony is located in the Hudson Valley in the foothills of the Berkshires. The Millay Society, our neighbor, oversees Millay’s house and gardens. There are designated trails for hiking and bicycling as well as nearby lakes, rivers and streams. In the summer, wild blueberries and other delicacies abound, while in the winter, there is excellent crosscountry skiing. Nearby Harvey Mountain State Forest draws visitors year-round. We are within 30 minutes of Chatham, New York and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Other attractions include The Mount, Tanglewood, Norman Rockwell Museum, Chesterwood, MassMOCA, Naumkeag, Jacobs Pillow, PS21, the Columbia County Film Festival and Berkshire Shakespeare & Company.
We provide groceries and Chef Donna cooks delicious family-style dinners weeknights. We accommodate all dietary restrictions; we also have a bbq grill and firepit (burgers and s’mores anyone?).
Our beloved historic Barn (built from a Sears-Roebuck kit in 1926) features four private bedrooms and studios. The Main Building (fully ADA-accessible) features 3 private bedrooms and 2 studios, as well as shared living/dining/kitchen space. In addition, the Main Building houses the Nancy Graves Memorial Library, a Yamaha U1 upright piano and the Martha Dupee Darkroom. Other amenities include washer/dryer, WiFI, printer/computer/copier/fax.
DEADLINE: March 1, 2020
https://millaycolony.submittable.com/submit
A SCIENCE WRITING WORKSHOP FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (AGES 16-18)
Kenyon Review
INFO: Young Science Writers is an intensive two-week workshop for intellectually curious, motivated high-school students who value science and writing. Our goal is to help students develop their creative and critical abilities with both science and language, and to challenge themselves in the company of peers who share their interests.
Our Approach
Science permeates our society, providing both our most astounding possibilities and some of our most monumental challenges. Yet for all its power, science is often considered a dry realm of facts and figures. The Young Science Writers Workshop focuses not just on the insights of science, but on its stories and characters, even its poetry. The workshop engages with science and nature writing that is technically accurate, meaningful to readers, and a pleasure to read. Reading and writing assignments will draw from a broad range of genres including research articles, journalism, essays, stories, and poetry. We will focus on key processes shared by both science and writing: observation, measurement, experiment, and analysis. Students will perform observations and experiments in Kenyon’s laboratory facilities and ecologically diverse outdoor surroundings, then incorporate these experiences into their writing.
Exercises and assignments will help students critically evaluate scientific information, explore the relationship between scientific ideas and other forms of knowledge, and write with clarity, creativity, and power whether the intended audience is scientists or general readers.
Summer in Gambier
Nestled among rolling hills in the village of Gambier, the Kenyon campus is known for its striking beauty. Its historic buildings and shaded lawns have nurtured excellent writers for generations. Students have full access to College recreational facilities, including basketball and tennis courts and a swimming pool. Weekend activities include social events and field trips.
A COMPLETE APPLICATION CONSISTS OF:
* The online application form.
* A 300 word essay, to be uploaded with the application form.
* A high school transcript, to be uploaded with the application form (we accept both official and unofficial transcripts).
* A letter of recommendation.
* Financial aid information and any supporting financial aid documentation (optional).
DEADLINE: March 1, 2020
https://kenyonreview.org/workshops/young-science-writers/
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: DRYLAND LITERARY JOURNAL
DSTL Arts
INFO: We accept poetry, prose, and art, and aim to publish the best of each genre. We look for subversive and bold voices; thought-provoking pieces that seek to illuminate a truth for the reader. We are proud to publish never published, emerging, and established writers/poets/artists. We enjoy reading and printing both English and Spanish language pieces.
Note: We prioritize works by people of color. We do not accept work that sustains the traditional white literary Western canon that has continuously ignored and poised itself as an authority over the voices of the oppressed. We do not give a voice to stories from the perspectives of cisgender, heterosexual, white, upper-class males that continue this tradition. We also do not give a voice to feminist works that only consider white female perspectives.
Submission Guidelines
POETRY: No more than 1-5 poems in one document
FICTION: 1 short story at 3,000 words maximum
FLASH FICTION: No more than 3-5 pieces in one document (not in separate files)
NONFICTION: 1 piece at 3,000 words maximum
DEADLINE: March 5, 2020
https://dstlarts.submittable.com/submit/147037/dryland-literary-journal-submission-form
Soaring Gardens Artists Retreat
INFO: Soaring Gardens Artists Retreat in Laceyville, PA, offers visual artists, writers, composers, and instrumentalists a quiet country setting for two- to five-week residencies to focus on their creative endeavors. Spaces are available from mid-May to mid-September. Soaring Gardens has no fees, makes no demands, and there are no intrusions from the administration—only the studios, gardens, deer, other creatures, and time.
The residency is located in a farmhouse with an adjacent studio building and in a small nearby church. At any time, there are only a few artists in residence—usually three or four at the farmhouse and two at the church. Since residents share the living spaces, we encourage artists to apply as a group (a combination of artistic disciplines is fine), although applications from individuals are also welcome.
Residents need a car to get to Soaring Gardens and to use while they are in residence. There is no public transportation close by. Artists are expected to shop, cook, and clean up after themselves; a gardener maintains the grounds. As the purpose of the residency is to provide time for undisturbed work, no children, pets, or overnight visitors are permitted.
Actively working visual artists, writers, instrumentalists, and composers with at least two years of professional experience since graduation may apply. Residencies are from two to five weeks, however preference is given to applicants requesting residencies of four to five weeks. (If scheduling permits, shorter residencies will be considered.) A limited number of $500 grants are available. If a grant will significantly affect your ability to attend, please fill out the Grants section on the application page. Grants will be awarded on the basis of need. Applying for a grant will not affect your eligibility for a residency.
Since residents share living spaces, artists are encouraged to apply as a group (a combination of artistic disciplines is fine), although each application is reviewed separately and the judges reserve the right to select or reject individual members. When you apply as a group, you may pursue individual projects, collaborative projects, and/or both.
DEADLINE: March 10, 2020
https://artistcommunities.org/residencies/soaring-gardens-artists-retreat
TIN HOUSE SUMMER WORKSHOP
INFO: The Tin House Summer Workshop (July 11 - 19, 2020) is a weeklong intensive of workshops, seminars, panels, and readings led by prominent contemporary writers. The program combines morning workshops with afternoon seminars and career panels. Evenings are reserved for author readings, singing, and dancing.
Workshops meet for six sessions, Monday through Saturday, from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. Each workshop will have no more than ten students. Each student will meet with their faculty instructor for a 15-minute one-on-one meeting during the week.
Tin House editors and guest agents are available to meet individually with students throughout the week.
For students who have completed a collection of stories or poems, a memoir, or a novel, one-on-one mentorships are available with select faculty and staff for an additional fee.
The Workshop will take place at Reed College, located on 100 acres of rolling lawns, winding lanes, and magnificent old trees in the southeast area of Portland, Oregon, just minutes from downtown and twelve miles from the airport.
Summer Workshop participants are housed in the dormitories of Reed College near the center of campus. Unless requested, all rooms are singles, with shared bathrooms (private stalls) on each floor. ADA accessible rooms are available.
All classrooms, readings, panel presentations, dining and reception areas are within 1/2 mile from the dormitories. Golf carts will be made available throughout the week for those who wish to have rides.
Meals are served in the dining area of the college and are catered by Bon Appetite. We work closely with Bon Appetite to ensure dietary requirements and restrictions are accommodated. Students who choose not to stay on campus will need to pay for meals individually.
You do not need to be a U.S. resident/citizen to apply.
Admissions
Applications are read by a board composed of Tin House Workshop staff and previous Tin House Scholars. All applications will be read by at least two readers. Our editorial board seeks work that reflects our core values and makes decisions regarding admission based on this and the merit of the writing sample submitted.
We will begin admitting applicants in early March.
The average turnaround time for applications is six weeks.
Our acceptance rate in 2019 was 15%.
General Applicants
Application Requirements:
Short Fiction: One writing sample of no more than 5,000 words.
Novel: One excerpt (from the project you will be workshopping from) of no more than 5,000 words.
Nonfiction: One essay of no more than 5,000 words or One excerpt (from the project you will be workshopping from) of no more than 5,000 words.
Poetry: Up to four poems.
Graphic Narrative: Up to 20 pages.Please do not apply with published material. However, it is acceptable to apply with work that is out for submission. If accepted, you will have the opportunity to switch your manuscript.
If you have been accepted into a Tin House workshop previously, please do not apply with the same application material. You are free to excerpt from the same project.
Participants may only attend our workshops (including Winter) three times.
If you wish to apply in multiple genres, you must submit a separate application for each genre (this includes short fiction and the novel).
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The general application deadline is March 11th.
Our 2020 Summer Workshop Admissions Board:
Lance Cleland (Workshop Director)
India Downes-Le Guin (Assistant Workshop Director)
Rickey Fayne (2019 Summer Scholar)
Mona Law (Workshop Intern)
Santiago Valencia (Workshop Intern)
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Tin House awards twelve full scholarships to our summer workshop. These awards cover the entire cost of the program, including room and board. Tin House Scholars will need to provide and pay for their travel to and from Portland. Scholarship applications are read by a board composed of Tin House Workshop staff, Tin House Books staff, and previous Tin House Scholars. All applications will be read by at least two readers. Our editorial board seeks work that reflects our core values and makes decisions regarding scholarship recipients based on this and the merit of the writing sample submitted.
All general scholarship applicants will also be considered for general admission (meaning you do not need to submit a general application as well).
In addition to your manuscript, you will be asked to submit a personal essay (1500 words or less) that gives our board insight into where you are coming from as a writer.
Payment plans are available for the $30 application fee. Please email our assistant workshop director India Downes-LeGuin (india@tinhouse.com) to inquire.
One may be awarded a scholarship once (this includes Winter Scholarships).
You may apply for multiple scholarships with one application (in one genre).
If you wish to apply in multiple genres, you must submit a separate scholarship application for each genre (this includes short fiction and the novel).
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The winners of these awards will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop.
The deadline for scholarship applications is TBA.
A list of recent scholarship recipients can be found here.
In addition to our general scholarships, Tin House will be offering these additional awards:
2 - Independent Bookseller Scholarship, Sponsored by Tin House Books
This award is intended for a writer presently employed at an independent bookstore.
This award covers the cost of tuition and room/board.
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
3 - Institute of American Indian Arts MFA Scholarship
This award is intended for applicants who are currently enrolled in or are a graduate of the MFA program at IAIA.
Thanks to a private donation, this award covers the application fee, cost of tuition, room/board, and airfare from within the United States.
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
4 - LGBTQ+ Scholarship
This award is intended for writers who identify as LGBTQ+.
This award covers the cost of tuition and room/board.
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
5 - Oregon Writer of Color Scholarship
This award is intended for a writer of color who currently resides in Oregon.
This award covers the cost of tuition and room/board.
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
6 - Still-Emerging Scholarship
This award is intended to provide writers over forty years of age who have not yet published a book with the time and space to develop their writing skills further and connect with a community that might help launch their professional writing careers.
This award covers the cost of tuition and room/board.
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 40 years or older by December 31st, 2020.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
7 - Without Borders Scholarship
This award is intended for any immigrant writer currently living in the United States.
This award covers the cost of tuition and room/board,
The winner of this award will not be announced publicly until after the conclusion of the Summer Workshop, where they will be listed as a Tin House Scholar.
Applicants must be 21 years of age by the time of the workshop.
The deadline to apply for this award is March 11th, 2020.
DEADLINE: March 11, 2020
https://tinhouse.com/workshop/summer-workshop/
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: BLACK GIRLHOOD ISSUE
Kweli Journal
INFO: Kweli is an online journal that celebrates community and cultural kinships. In this shared space, you will hear the lived experience of people of color. Our many stories. Our shared histories. Our creative play with language. Here our memories are wrapped inside the music of the Muscogee, the blues songs of the South, the clipped patois of the Caribbean.
Nicole Dennis-Benn will be guest editing Kweli's April/May 2020 Issue.
Dennis-Benn is the author of HERE COMES THE SUN and PATSY. She is a Lambda Award winner and the recipient of the National Foundation for the Arts Grant. Dennis-Benn was also a finalist for the NBCC John Leonard Award, the NYPL Young Lions Award, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and MORE.
From Nicole Dennis-Benn:
In the novel, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, the young female protagonist, August, states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. But what about his daughters, I wondered. What did God do with his daughters?”
This line resonated with me as a woman, who was once a girl in Jamaica, who never saw my life or that of my peers reflected on television, much less on the page. Not until I encountered Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Sula; Paule Marshall’s Brown Girl Brownstone, Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, and Edwidge Danticat’s Krik? Krak! However, those stories did something that few books and mainstream media capture—the representation of black women at the very critical developmental stages of our lives: our girlhood.
Many of the widely acclaimed coming of age stories I had read and seen on television focused primarily on boys. This leaves me to question where are the stories of our black girlhood? It’s as though boys are allowed to make mistakes and fumble into their developing sexualities and self-discoveries, thus generously lending them the redeeming quality of youth; while the black girl is stripped of her youth and imprisoned inside a sanguine cage where she is automatically expected to perform womanhood. In a society where black girls’ bodies are often sexualized, very rarely is our innocence regarded, nurtured, or even depicted. Mainstream narratives do very little to document our growing pains and self-discoveries as girls.
This Kweli issue will focus on filling the gap that books and media have overlooked in our stories: Black Girlhood. This includes the stages of the pre-teen and teen years. These stories are NOT limited to YA fiction, but fiction as a whole that capture our realities through the lens of black girls, ages 5-19. The stories chosen will be from various black women writers, established and unknown, across the diaspora whose stories capture the essence of black girlhood in all its beauty, pain, honesty, and complexity.
DEADLINE: March 14, 2020
http://www.kwelijournal.org/submit-2
THE CABINS 2020 RETREAT
INFO: The Cabins 2020 June session is located on a private camp in walking distance from Tobey Pond and the hiking trails of the Great Mountain Forest in scenic Norfolk, Connecticut. Kayaks and canoes will be at the participants' disposition, and the swimming is fantastic. Please email us if you have mobility concerns and we will talk you through the access to the different accommodations. There is parking on site.
You can download the summer schedule for an idea of how time is structured during the retreat. Once the group arrives and settles in, a “lights out” time that respects everyone’s various sleep and socialization needs will be decided on. (Lights won't need to go off by then, just voices.)
The Cabins camp is divided up in the following way:
Main House: 2 private bedrooms, communal kitchen, screened porch, dining room, living room with fireplace, 1 1/2 bathrooms, washing machine. Fire pit off of the living room.
Studio 1: One room cabin with 1/2 bath, queen bed
Studio 2: Circular stone cabin with fireplace, 1/2 bath and queen bed
The Flippery: Separate house containing a main room with 3 twin beds, and a separate room with a bunk bed. 1/2 bath in between the two rooms.
Room rates are as follows for the 4-day June retreat and include tuition*:
Private queen in main house: $450
Private twin in main house: $400
Private Studio 1: $525
Private Studio 2: $525
The Flippery**: $350
Scholarship recipients: no charge (except for room occupancy tax)***
Applying as a couple or two-person team? A private room or cabin must be selected and an additional $200 will be added to cover the second person’s room and board. To keep the group dynamics comfortable for everyone, only one couple or partnership will be accepted per session.
*Room rates include 3 group dinners and 2 lunches. Additionally, the kitchen in the main house will be stocked with breakfast basics and essentials such as coffee, tea, bread, granola, eggs, condiments, milk, juice, beer and wine. It will be up to the participants to replenish stocks as the weekend progresses. Everyone is more than welcome to bring food, snacks, and cooking ingredients from home to share. All participants must sign liability waivers before they arrive.
**Please note: scholarship recipients will be housed in The Flippery. Visit the apply page for more information about scholarships.
*** Due to new tax laws in Connecticut, each applicant will be charged $5 a day to cover the room occupancy tax, including scholarship recipients.
Payment:
Payment is due in full one week after your acceptance in order to hold your spot by check, Venmo, or PayPal.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2020
https://www.thecabinsretreat.com/about
2020 Kundiman Mentorship Lab
INFO: Applications are now open for the 2020 Mentorship Lab! This program will support 9 emerging writers through a six-month program. The Mentorship Lab supports 3 writers of each genre (Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, & Poetry), who will take Master Classes, Workshops, and receive one-on-one Mentorship.
This program will support nine NYC–based emerging artists for a six-month mentorship program from July 2020–December 2020. This lab will include not only mentorship support from established artists but also writing workshops, master classes, and a culminating reading open to the public. Kundiman has long been a source of community and support for Asian American writers, and we’re excited to offer this space of close collaboration and community guidance.
We are thrilled to have the following writers serving as Mentors this year:
Hala Alyan: Poetry
Gina Apostol: Fiction
Mayukh Sen: Creative Nonfiction
AWARD: Mentorship Fellows receive a $1000 stipend, individual mentoring sessions with the Mentor in their genre, six Master Classes, and six Workshops. To encourage learning and community across genres, the Master Classes will include fellows from all three genres. The Workshops will be conducted within specific genres.
ELIGIBILITY: The Mentorship Lab is open to emerging writers who self-identify as Asian American. Writers must not have published a full-length book by the conclusion of the Lab, and cannot be enrolled in a degree-granting program during the time of the Mentorship Lab. Writers must be residents of the five boroughs of New York City, and be living in NYC for the full period of the Mentorship Lab.
Mentorship Lab will meet on biweekly Monday evenings in NYC from September 2020–December 2020. Please make sure you are able to make these class times before applying.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MENTORSHIP FELLOWS:
Meet with entire cohort for introductory meeting in July 2020
Participate in biweekly 30-minute check-ins with Mentors from August 2020–December 2020, via phone or Skype
Attend all 6 Master Classes and 6 Writing Workshops on biweekly Mondays from September–December 2020
Participate in culminating public reading in December 2020
DEADLINE: March 15, 2020
http://www.kundiman.org/mentorship-lab
2020 JuxtaProse Nonfiction Prize
JuxtaProse Literary Magazine
INFO: $1,000 and publication in JuxtaProse Literary Magazine will be awarded to the winning piece. Up to three additional pieces, each by a different author, may be awarded "Honorable Mention" status, for which they will receive $100 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication, regardless of whether they receive honorable mention status. Manuscripts must not have been previously published in any form -- including any form of online publication -- in order to be eligible.
Entries should contain a single piece of creative nonfiction that is between 500 and 7,000 words. Any entry which falls outside of these word limits may be subject to disqualification. Authors may enter multiple times but will be charged a separate entry fee each time.
Winners, including the first prize winner and any honorable mentions, will be announced on or before 5:00 pm Pacific Time on June 12, 2020. JuxtaProse reserves the right to extend the contest deadline as necessary, so long as the winners are announced by this date.
SUBMISSION FEES: $18.00 / $14.00
DEADLINE: March 16, 2020
https://juxtaprosemagazine.submittable.com/submit/151745/2020-juxtaprose-nonfiction-prize
Special Issue: Visions and Words for Children of the African Diaspora, Fall 2020
Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora
INFO: Founded in 1975, Obsidian supports—through publication and critical inquiry—the contemporary poetry, fiction, drama/performance, visual and media art of Africans globally. Recognized by the National Endowment of the Arts as one of the premier journals dedicated to Africa and African Diaspora Literatures, Obsidian is published biannually in print and year-round online and hosted by Illinois State University.
This special issue of Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora is dedicated to creative artistry for children of the African Diaspora. We invite original textual and multimedia submissions devoted to interdisciplinary and creative approaches in African Diaspora Children’s and YA Literature. Submissions must focus upon literature, visual, and audio artistry created by people of the African Diaspora. Submissions may include scholarly papers, audio and/or visual presentations, interviews, and creative/artistic works.
Guest Editor: Nancy D. Tolson
Manuscript Guidelines:
Include a short cover letter noting the title(s) of the work(s) submitted and citing major publications and awards, as well as any association or past correspondence with a guest or staff editor.
Upload your text submission only as a Word (doc, docx), portable document format/PDF (pdf) or rich-text format (rtf) file.
**NO Pages, txt, or Open Office Documents.Typed, double-spaced pages (Note: Poetry may be single-spaced)
Numbered pages.
Scholarly papers should follow the Chicago Style for grammar and MLA format for citations and works cited, and the Obsidian Stylesheet (The style sheet is available to download as a pdf file here at this link : Obsidian Style Sheet The link opens in a new page.
Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”.
Poetry: submit up to five (5) poems totaling no more than eight (8) pages.
Fiction, Hybrid genre and critical essays: 12-point font. No more than twenty (20) pages or 5000 words (whichever is achieved first). Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Drama/Performance: submit one act or a collection of short scenes no longer than twenty pages (20) following Samuel French or the Dramatists Guild suggested formatting. Excerpts of longer works are welcome if self-contained.
Translations are welcome if permission has been granted.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2020
https://obsidianlit.org/how-to-submit/
Anaphora Writing Residency
INFO: Anaphora Writing Residency is a ten-day program based primarily in Los Angeles, exclusively for writers of color only. The program offers workshops, readings, craft talks, and discussions with professionals from the literary and publishing industry. The goal of the program is to nurture emerging and established writers of color, to create opportunities for publication, and establish a wide network of support for writers of different backgrounds.
DATES & FEES: The upcoming residency will run on May 28 - June 6, 2020, and will take place in a small campus in Los Angeles. The program costs $3,000, which includes room and board (double occupancy, with 3 meals daily). Several partial fellowships are available every year, depending on funding availability; applications must be submitted by the priority deadline to be eligible for fellowships. Our Founding Fellows and returning alumnx, will have the opportunity to attend the program at a discounted rate.
DEADLINES:
Priority: March 17, 2020
Final: March 20, 2020
Applications are reviewed by an anonymous admission board of peers, which rotates every year. Notifications will be sent out by March 25th. A non-refundable security deposit of $300 is required within two weeks of notification; program fees must be paid entirely prior to the beginning of the residency.
https://www.anaphoraarts.com/anaphora-writing-residency
VONA/VOICES SUMMER WORKSHOPS 2020
INFO: As the only multi-genre workshop for writers-of-color in the United States, VONA is grounded in social justice and the fostering of a community where our work is centralized in an environment that is safe, nurturing, and supportive. VONA is about mentoring emerging writers-of-color by accomplished writers-of-color. VONA Alums create a presence in spaces that have traditionally been dominated by mainstream writing.
Participants are notified of their acceptance by March 14 and have until March 23, 2020, to confirm their acceptance and pay a non-refundable deposit of $200. Waitlisted applicants will be notified by April 1, 2020.
Manuscripts to be used in the workshop will be uploaded to the virtual classroom site by May 17, 2020. All fees are due by May 31, 2020. A two-step payment plan is available. Limited partial scholarships are available.
Writers will only be able to enroll in ONE workshop; however, all are encouraged to apply for first and second choices. Thus applying in different weeks is allowed, but attendance is permitted to only one workshop over the two week period. (You will be notified accordingly of your acceptance or waitlist status to the workshops you have applied.)
Week ONE: June 21 - June 27, 2020
Week TWO: June 28 - July 4, 2020
Fees for Tuition
Week-long workshop: $1,250
*Residency: $1,250
Limited need-based partial tuition scholarships offered.
Room and Board - optional
*$675 - $771 (includes meals, wi-fi, linen packet, wellness center, laundry facility, and parking. Register directly with the University of Miami via OCS link once you are accepted.)
SUBMISSION FEE: $30
DEADLINE: Extended to March 18, 2020
https://vonavoices.submittable.com/submit/155419/vona-voices-summer-workshops-2020
2020 WRITING CONTEST
The Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing
INFO: We are thrilled to present the MVICW Annual Writers' Contest! Two winners will be awarded full tuition and lodging to attend the Summer Writers' Conference, and two additional winners will be awarded partial tuition ($500 toward Tuition).
The competition is open to anyone who will be 18 years or older at the start of the program. Interested applicants should submit one poem (1-3 pages in length), or one short story , novel excerpt, or creative nonfiction piece (up to 3000 words). Entries will be judged anonymously.
PRIZES:
First Place Awards (two winners):
One Poetry and One Fiction/CNF
$1700 (Tuition & Lodging for the Week)
Two Second Prize Awards (two winners):
One Poetry and One Fiction/CNF
$500 each (Towards Tuition)
SUBMISSION FEE: $25
DEADLINE: March 20, 2020
TWH 2020
The Writer’s Hotel
INFO: The Writer’s Hotel “Mini MFA” is a one-of-a-kind conference. TWH Editors read and consult on each writer’s full length manuscript pre-conference, followed by a week-long conference in June. TWH NYC events are set at Midtown hotels, including The Roger Smith Hotel and The Casablanca Hotel. On site events include workshops, lectures and agent pitch sessions. And each writer reads their own original work at landmark NYC venues: KGB Bar, The Red Room at KGB Bar and Bowery Poetry Club. Faculty readings are another wonderful feature, and are held at Kinokuniya Bookstore and at Lily’s Bar at The Roger Smith. From our virtual pre-reading process through to our NYC writers conference, TWH takes writers and their writing to the next level. Via TWH, writers bring their work from desk to marketplace at the heart of the publishing industry. It's an extraordinary opportunity.
To apply, send the first 5000 words of a fiction manuscript. Writers may submit work in any fiction sub-genre. Novels, novels-in-progress, short stories, and short story collections-in-progress are all welcome. The application writing sample must be the first pages of a current target manuscript. Writers may apply below via the
In order to be eligible for TWH 2020, writers should be working on an unpublished target manuscript. A target manuscript is a writer's present writing project--the manuscript that the writer will bring to NYC and present to agents or editors. This target manuscript can be a work-in-progress or it can be full-length draft. Writers should have at least 30-50 finished, polished pages by June, 2020, in order to pitch their manuscript to agents on-site.
Please note that we do not work on full-length manuscripts that are over 100K words. If we move forward with an application, the writer will be contacted for a brief phone interview. During the interview, the writer will have the opportunity to discuss their writing and writing goals. We process our applications as quickly as possible. If we feel that a writer is a good fit for TWH, we will work through the acceptance materials quickly. We are prompt to notify about acceptance status, and prompt to begin our pre-conference Team Reading, so that writers can benefit right away from our editing and feedback process.
PROGRAMMING AND COST: Our programming fee includes the pre-conference TWH Team Reading, performed by TWH editors, and all NYC on-site events June 3-9. Each TWH Team Reading includes hundreds of comments, from line edits to developmental edits, and a follow-up phone call to address any questions a writer may have about the generated comments. The fee covers NYC in-town events June 3-9: All workshops, lectures, readings, Genre Labs, open mic night, the Breakfast Social with TWH Directors and the agent pitch sessions. TWH is a unique and comprehensive writing program. The fee for our 2020 TWH program is $3,250. Our prices are extremely competitive; we feel that the pre-conference reading value alone may well be worth the price of admission. We are also extremely selective, because of the time we spend with each author's work and because of the small size of each Major Workshop on site.
We can point accepted writers toward credit opportunities via our billing arm, and let writers know about affordable hotels. Many of our attendees who work in academia in the states and abroad have received funding grants via their colleges or universities, as TWH is generally considered a career enrichment program. All five of our participating hotels offer TWH discounts, and there are other opportunities for lodging in the Midtown area that are reasonable.
STIPEND AND AWARD INFORMATION: TWH offers three stipends of $500 each year. In 2020, we will be awarding three Fiction stipends. Our Sara Patton Stipends are awarded on site in NYC on the last day of our conference. Awardees also have their bio and photo posted on our website following the NYC announcement, and that announcement is up online for a full year. All TWH attendees are automatically entered, with the exception of Teaching Assistants and those working with us in Private Study, who are ineligible for the stipends. Sara Patton Stipends are merit-based, not need based. TWH stipend recipients are chosen at the discretion of our stipend committee in a closed process.
The Writer's Hotel holds a Writers and Writing Conferences (WC&C) membership, via the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). Because of this membership, all TWH attendees are also eligible to enter AWP's Kurt Brown Prizes competition. AWP's Kurt Brown Prizes also honor three writers each year with $500 and an online announcement. The Kurt Brown Prize is open to accepted TWH 2020 writers. The next application period runs 12/01/19-03/30/20.
SUBMISSION FEE: $30
DEADLINE: March 22, 2020
https://www.writershotel.com/apply
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Kearny Street Workshop / Asian Art Museum
INFO: Kearny Street Workshop, in collaboration with Asian Art Museum, presents Interdisciplinary Writers Lab (IWL), a 3-month, multi-genre master class for local BIPOC writers scheduled for summer 2020. IWL is a unique program that challenges emerging writers to thoroughly explore and develop their writing skills and styles across multiple genres.
The goals of the IWL program include: providing local emerging writers/artists with the opportunity to challenge, develop, and expand their practice by working with established writers in a variety of genres; to contribute to the development of new literary forms and language that incorporate multiple forms of creative expression; to provide emerging artists with the opportunity to build community and connect with writers in the literary world; and to publish in a print anthology that highlights work by exciting new writers committed to exploring new forms and voices.
*Although IWL accepts applications from all interested students, the focus of this program is geared towards artists and writers of color. It’s our hope that the students’ engagement in this program will prompt the further development of their craft.
IWL 2020 is a collaboration between Kearny Street Workshop and Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
SUBMISSION FEE: $10
PROGRAM FEES: Tuition for IWL is $400. The application fee is $10. In order to reserve your spot with IWL, full tuition must be paid upon acceptance into the program. Failure to pay tuition before the established deadline prior to the start of IWL could result in removal from the program. Opportunities to apply for scholarships will open after acceptance into the program.
DEADLINE: March 29, 2020
https://www.kearnystreet.org/iwl-2020-call-for-submissions
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: FICTION
them
INFO: Our team at them. is excited to announce our new monthly fiction column, a space dedicated to publishing queer stories and poems by and for the LGBTQ+ community.
Queer people have long used literature to telegraph our lives and stories to the world, and to reclaim, recontextualize, and retell history on our own terms. Queer literature was at the heart of the fight to strike down obscenity laws in the West, has helped countless people discover their sexuality and identity before the internet, and has long been a powerful tool of resistance and imagination for LGBTQ+ people worldwide. In short, it’s vital to our community — which is why we’re inspired to provide our audience with a platform for their own work, to publish the next generation of LGBTQ+ writers.
Each month, we will select a new theme — subjects as abstract as love, creation, and connection, or as concrete as a day at the beach — and invite readers around the world to submit poems, flash fiction, and short stories tied to that theme.
This April, leading up to this year’s Met Gala, About Time: Fashion and Duration, we’ll be publishing submissions themed around time. We’re looking for stories and poems both about time as a literal concept and as it relates to one’s life — a time you fell in love, how coming out changed the timeline of your adolescence, a queer time travel saga, even a period piece that transports us to a different historical era. While we encourage any interpretation of this theme, we are looking to select:
5 poems
4 pieces of flash fiction (under 1,000 words)
1 short story
DEADLINE: March 30, 2020
https://www.them.us/story/them-monthly-fiction-column-call-for-submissions
THE RESTLESS BOOKS PRIZE FOR NEW IMMIGRANT WRITING
INFO: The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing For will be awarded for an outstanding debut literary work by a first-generation immigrant. We’re looking for extraordinary unpublished submissions from emerging writers of sharp, culture-straddling writing that addresses identity in a global age. A distinguished panel of judges will select a winning manuscript to be published by Restless Books.
Fiction manuscripts must be complete. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome).
Candidates must be first-generation residents of their country. “First-generation” can refer either to people born in another country who relocated, or to residents of a country whose parents were born elsewhere.
Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English. Nonfiction candidates must not have previously published a book of nonfiction in English. We encourage applicants to look at the other titles Restless has published and previous contest winners to get a sense of our aesthetic.
Submitted manuscripts may be simultaneously under consideration for publication by other publishing houses. Once a manuscript has been selected as the winner of the Prize, Restless will contact the author and ask that the manuscript be withdrawn from consideration elsewhere. A publishing contract between the winning author and Restless Books must be signed before the winner is announced.
* Please note that while Restless Books welcomes all submissions for the Prize, we do not accept unsolicited manuscripts for our publishing program.
PRIZE: The winner will receive a $10,000 advance and publication by Restless Books in print and digital editions. We expect to work closely with the winner and provide editorial guidance.
DEADLINE: March 31, 2020
https://restlessbooks.org/prize-for-new-immigrant-writing
NLS CURATORIAL/ART WRITING INTENSIVE
INFO: The Curatorial/Art Writing Intensive is a 5-month long mentorship program geared towards addressing the dearth of archival scholarship on the work of artists in Jamaica and the Caribbean by empowering young writers and curators with the tools to write these histories.
This program aims to develop diverse curatorial practices with a strong research and writing foundation equipping young curators to work on future projects at larger institutions and in their own intitiatives, thereby generating an archive on specific concerns and artists of focus.
For the program one young mentee will be selected per year to work with a professional curatorial mentor in the development of the mentee’s project addressing one or more of the following themes:
Gender: Ecology/Environment
Gender: Economy
Gender: Politics/Space
The program provides for mentees:
A work stipend of JMD $300,000
A separate publication and exhibition budget
Professional development from an experienced mentor
Access to Creative Sounds audio recording studio for podcast recording
Project space for the final project execution
Space for panel discussion
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
A curatorial or research statement of 700 - 1000 words. This should include ongoing research interests, planned areas of focus, as well as critical questions being investigated through the research.
An executive summary of 75 - 100 words.
A timeline for the project period. The timeline should detail checkpoints such as period of research, technical execution of outcomes such as publications (both podcast and written), panel discussions and curatorial interventions (exhibition or otherwise).
Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Work sample. Must include PDFs of 3 of your most recent writing samples, especially as related to area of research and/or 10 JPEG images (1200 pixels wide) with accompanying text (PDF format) of exhibitions applicant has worked on in the last 5 years.
Recommendations. Applicant must submit 2 signed letters of recommendation from someone who has worked with the applicant in their career, either in exhibitions, school and/or residencies. 7. Completed application form. 8. Copy of valid government-issued identification.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Clarity. Clarity of the ideas and critical questions expressed in the research statement
Relevance. How relevant is the applicant’s project to the outlined themes the program is designed to address.
Timeline. Well-estimated timeline with thoughtful attention to time for research and technical execution of outcomes.
Previous output of applicant
Strength of recommendations
NOTIFICATIONS: All applicants will be notified that their application has been received within 14 days of receipt. Accepted applicants will be notified 8 weeks from the close of deadline.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM
Daily Notebook. Mentee is expected to keep a daily notebook that should be logged into each workday. Notebooks will be provided by NLS. Daily entries may include documentation of thought process, process of inquiry, project notes, and concerns.
Meetings. Mentee is required to attend regular scheduled meetings with Mentor and periodical meetings with the NLS administrative staff. Mentee is expected to be punctual for all meetings and respectful of all set timelines.
Podcast Episode. Resident is expected to host one episode of the NLS IN podcast interviewing guest(s) working in their area of research. Exhibition. The work created in the residency should be available for a month-long curated exhibition at NLS following the residency where applicable.
Art Writing Blog. Monthly contribution to the NLS art writing blog informally documenting developments, challenges and emerging curatorial/research concerns.
Workspace. The program does not provide office space for the duration of the intensive, therefore applicants are required to have access to their own workspace, computer and working WiFi.
Time. Accepted applicants are expected to work independently from March to August, 2019 under the mentorship of a professional curator and writer with a time commitment of at least 15 hours per week.
Curatorial Intervention. Mentee is expected to present a curatorial intervention in the form of an exhibition or other format relevant to the Mentee’s project focus.
Artist Talk. Mentee is required to moderate one artist talk/panel discussion towards the end of the intensive during the time of the curatorial intervention.
Written Publications. Mentee is expected to publish one essay in the form of a catalogue or zine to accompany the curatorial intervention, as well as submit one relevant piece of writing for publishing in a major art publication.
DEADLINE: March 31, 2020
http://www.nlskingston.org/documents/NLS_Curatorial_2019.pdf
Winter 2020 Story Contest
Narrative
INFO: Our winter contest is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. We’re looking for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.
As always, we are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, with characters we can respond to as human beings, and with effects of language, situation, and insight that are intense and total. We look for works that have the ambition of enlarging our view of ourselves and the world.
AWARDS:
First Prize: $2,500,
Second Prize: $1,000
Third Prize: $500
Ten finalists will receive $100 each
All contest entries are eligible for the $4,000 Narrative Prize for 2020 and for acceptance as a Story of the Week.
SUBMISSION FEE: $27 and you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.
DEADLINE: March 31, 2020
CALL FOR SUBMISSION: WOMB ANTHOLOGY
POC United
INFO: The womb. From the Old English wamb. Referred to in science as the uterus. It is the inverted, pear-shaped organ that offers a space for the conception of offspring and is the home for that life to gestate. Throughout history, wombs have been extracted, cut into, sewn together, criminalized, politicized, legislated, and textualized. There are literal and figurative wombs, ones housed in our bodies, ones we wish were housed in our bodies, ones we don’t want, and, for all of us, the wombs from which we were born. For this second POC United anthology, we want them all.
We ask for fiction, essays, and poetry about the desire for a womb, the loss of a womb, the relationship to the mother’s womb, the metaphorical womb, phantom wombs, and any other womb-related ideas you might have. Interpret this theme as freely as you like, and submit so-called literary or genre work.
Please send fiction and non-fiction under 5,000 words and no more than three poems to pocunited@outlook.com as both an attachment and pasted in the body of the message by
DEADLINE: April 1, 2020
https://pocunited.com/submit/?fbclid=IwAR1jcQL_BaoHVsDxJpARZi9MBeJcL8zv9QOISY130Pr7vwi8iL5xVUijjHc
2020 Eliza So Fellowship
Submittable
INFO: We’re delighted to announce Submittable’s 2020 Eliza So Fellowship, which will support one Native American writer’s book project with a month-long residency in Missoula, MT. Now in its fourth year, the Eliza So Fellowship is dedicated to serving underrepresented writers working to complete a full-length book manuscript.
This year’s fellowship is open to Native American writers at any stage in a book project, provided that 30 representative pages have been completed. No resume is required, and entry is free. We encourage you to consider applying and help us get the word out.
The 2020 Eliza So Fellowship will include lodging in Missoula, along with a $1,000 stipend for food and travel. Fellows will stay in a private house on the Clark Fork river trail, just blocks from downtown, grocery shopping, farmers markets, parks, restaurants, coffee shops, and more.
Final judge: Heather Cahoon
Cahoon received her MFA in Poetry from the University of Montana where she was the Richard Hugo Scholar. She has been awarded a Merriam Frontier Prize, a Potlatch Fund Native Arts grant, and a Montana Arts Council Artist Innovation Award for her writing, which has appeared in Hanging Loose, Lit Hub, Yellow Medicine Review, basalt, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, Carve, and Cutthroat among others. Her first full-length collection of poems entitled Horsefly Dress, is forthcoming from the University of Arizona Press in fall of 2020. Heather is also a federal Indian policy scholar and Assistant Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Montana. She grew up on the Flathead Reservation in western Montana and is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Application and fellowship requirements:
1) You have a novel, collection of stories or poems, a memoir, or other prose work (fiction, nonfiction, or hybrid) in progress (30 pages minimum).
2) You are a Native American writer
3) You are available for a residency from July 18, 2020 – August 14, 2020
Fellows will be asked to give a public reading in Missoula and write a blog post of at least 1,000 words for Submittable during their residency.
If fellows are interested in doing a lunchtime presentation for staff at Submittable’s Missoula headquarters during their stay—on their book project, craft, or any literary topic that interests them—we would be delighted. However, a lunchtime presentation is not required.
DEADLINE: April 5, 2020